


By the Sword

by heyjupiter



Series: Citizens For a A Thanos-Free Universe [7]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, M/M, Minor Bruce Banner/Pepper Potts/Tony Stark, Science Bros
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-18
Updated: 2019-07-18
Packaged: 2020-07-07 19:53:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,956
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19857115
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heyjupiter/pseuds/heyjupiter
Summary: "Hey, so, Ned and I were talking, and we were just wondering if you ever thought about putting all the suits together into like, a Megazord?"At first, Peter's requests for Tony to build new tech based on 90s children's TV shows are funny, but then Tony can't stop thinking about ways to protect Bruce if the Hulk isn't going to be around to help.





	By the Sword

**Author's Note:**

> This is for Day #4 of Science Bros Week, "merge." (I see you there, Science Bros Week, with your Endgame-related words, and I am just going to be out here continuing to deny Endgame byeee)
> 
> I set this in my Thanos-Free Universe AU but you don't have to read all of those in order. If you can accept a canon-divergent AU where Bruce and the Asgardians made it home after the end of Thor: Ragnarok, you should be able to follow this story just fine.
> 
> Thanks to xxx_cat_xxx for lending me her Spidey-sense!

Peter looked up from his Lego creation and said, "Hey, so, Ned and I were talking, and we were just wondering if you ever thought about putting all the suits together into like, a Megazord?" 

Tony raised his eyebrows. Any of Peter's stories that started with _Ned and I were talking…_ tended to veer directly into nonsense, and this one seemed no different. "A mega-what?"

"You know, like, from Power Rangers?" Peter glanced to Bruce for confirmation, but Bruce shrugged. Peter sighed. "You know? Power Rangers? That Japanese kids show where um, each Power Ranger has their own individual dinozord but then they can combine all five of them into a Megazord? And their zords can merge together and make like a big robot?"

"I think that must be after our time," Bruce said, absently sorting Legos into color-coded piles.

Peter furrowed his brows. "Really? I thought it was kinda old. Ned and I watched a bunch of clips on YouTube, it was hilarious. The effects are soo bad but the fights are still cool."

Tony pulled out his phone to look up "Power Rangers Megazord" and found that the show premiered in the US in 1993. Which was well past the era when Tony watched Saturday morning television, yet also by Peter's standards...was kinda old. Ugh. Still, the bright Spandex costumes looked vaguely familiar. 

"Okay, yeah, I've seen those things." He clicked through and found images of the Megazord. "This Megazord thing seems really impractical. I'm not really sure I see the strategic benefits of it."

"Well, like, if you're fighting something really big! Like, uh, like when Ant-Man got really big--"

"We're not fighting Ant-Man again. That was a misunderstanding," Tony said firmly.

"Okay, but, I don't know, maybe like a Godzilla or something?"

"Godzilla isn't real."

"Until like ten years ago everybody thought aliens weren't real," Peter said.

Bruce shrugged. "He's got a point."

"Not helpful, Banner." 

Peter continued, "But you'd need _five_ suits for it to work. There's you, and War Machine, and the Iron Spider suit--"

"--that's for special occasions," Tony interjected.

"--and the Rescue suit you made for Ms. Potts--"

"--that's for _really_ special occasions," Tony said.

"And that's four. You need a fifth suit. You should make one for Dr. Banner. So he could be in the Megazord."

"I am not making a _Megazord_."

"And I don't need a suit," Bruce said.

"Oh. But I thought you weren't, um, you know, that the Hulk--" 

"I'm retired," Bruce said firmly.

"I guess the fifth one could be one of the drone ones," Peter said, looking dejected.

"It could. But we don't need five. Because I am not making a _Megazord_."

"Just seems like it would be really cool," Peter muttered dejectedly. "It could have a big sword." He picked up a long block of Legos and mimed swinging a big sword.

"If you want a sword, Peter, just ask."

"Okay, can I please have a sword?"

"No, what do you need a sword for? You're _Spider-Man_ , not Sword-Man!"

Peter sighed. Bruce said, "Maybe you could take fencing lessons?"

"No," Peter and Tony both said in unison. Tony had had to take fencing lessons for a few years at boarding school. It was really boring, with tons of fussy rules, and didn't seem like it had done anything at all to prepare Tony for _actually_ fighting.

Peter added, "Sorry, I just don't want like a skinny little pretend sword like they use in fencing. I want like, a _sword._ "

Bruce shrugged. "Okay. But I just read Ibtihaj Muhammad's memoir. You know, the first Muslim woman on the American Olympic fencing team? It was pretty inspiring."

Tony leaned over and kissed Bruce's cheek. "You're so cute."

"It's not cute, she worked really hard…and she was really discriminated against, it was terrible."

"I didn't say _she_ was cute. I said _you_ were cute."

"Well. Okay, I guess." Bruce acquiesced. "But it was a good book though."

"I'll give you a point since your thing is based on reality, unlike the Power Rangers."

"I didn't know we were keeping score."

"Mm-hmm, as of just now, it's you-one, Peter-zero."

"This game is rigged," Peter mumbled.

"I give Peter a point for trying to look out for me," Bruce offered.

"Okay, well, I guess we'll have to figure out a tie-breaker next week, since it's just about time for Peter to head back to Queens," Tony announced.

Tony felt like his body was on autopilot; as he helped pick up the Legos and walked Peter out to May's car, his brain kept spinning, trying to work out a problem. When he returned to Bruce in the common room, he said, "Hey...I was thinking. Peter did have a good point."

Bruce nodded. "You're going to make him a sword."

"What? No. But...but maybe you _should_ have a suit."

Bruce started shaking his head "no" even before Tony finished speaking. "No, Tony, I told you...I'm retired. I don't want to fight anymore. I'm done."

"No, I know, and I totally get that. But...just for emergencies. Like Pepper's."

"No."

"Why not? It would be easy to build. I'd love to do it. It would make me feel better."

"But it would make me feel worse!"

"Why? You said yourself, you were afraid that if you changed again, you'd get stuck as the Other Guy. Forever. I...Bruce, we lost you for _two years_. I don't want to lose you again. This way, if...if something came up, you could protect yourself without risking...that."

"Well I--it's just--I think it would hurt his feelings."

"What are you talking about?"

"The Other Guy. He--he's supposed to protect me. And I know he…" Bruce trailed off and stared at the floor.

"He...what?" Tony asked finally.

"I'm sorry. It's really hard to talk about. To put into words. It's just, he, I used to hear him in my head all the time, and now I don't, but...he must still be there. And I don't...I don't want to fight anymore. And I don't think he does either. But I don't want him to think I replaced him. I...I think if I really need him, he'll come. It's...something I've been thinking about a lot. Since I got back."

Tony opened his mouth, ready to voice a dozen objections. Then he closed his mouth and wrapped his arms around Bruce. He held him for a long moment before he said, "Okay, Brucie. No suit for you. But if you change your mind, just say the word." 

Tony still felt uneasy, but he remembered all too clearly that the last time someone had pushed Bruce too hard about the Hulk, Bruce had disappeared for two years. Bruce had still barely spoken of his--of Hulk's--time on Sakaar, but it was clear that he (they?) was (were) pretty traumatized by two years of intergalactic fight club. So it seemed safest to drop the subject, especially since it was hypothetical at the moment. They were safe, for now.

"You could make a suit for Happy. If you need a fifth Spice Girl for Peter's Megazord thing," Bruce said seriously.

Tony laughed and buried his face in Bruce's shoulder. "Babe, I love you so much but you _know_ I can't infringe on another company's intellectual property like that."

Bruce laughed too. It sounded even more resonant than usual, since Tony was so close to Bruce's chest. "Of course. You're better than that."

"Damn straight I am." 

Pepper was in LA for business, so they had a lazy night. They curled up on the couch, where they watched the kind of bad sci-fi that Pepper rolled her eyes at, and ate leftover Chinese food before eventually moving up to bed. Bruce fell asleep quickly, but Tony lay awake. He tried to soothe himself with the sound of Bruce's steady breathing, but he just couldn't stop thinking about worst case scenarios.

Finally, he quietly rolled out of bed. He paused in the doorway, but Bruce was still asleep. Tony smiled to himself at the sight; Bruce had been back on Earth for a few months, but Tony still wasn't quite ready to take Bruce's presence for granted.

"I'll be right back," he whispered.

He went down to his workshop and pulled up all the schema for the Hulkbuster suit and Veronica satellite. Yes, this would work. The Hulkbuster obviously wasn’t as flexible as the Bleeding Edge, but Bruce was close enough in size to Tony that the suit would fit him well enough. It wouldn't require Bruce to have any kind of implant or bracer to call the suit to him. And since Bruce had helped design it, he should know how to pilot it. 

Plus, he was keeping his word to Bruce. He wasn’t making a _new_ suit for Bruce, just making sure he had access to an old one. 

"Hey FRIDAY?"

"Yes, boss?"

"I need you to add Bruce Banner as an authorized user for the Veronica satellite. He should be able to call it anywhere using his vocal confirmation and access everything it contains. Okay?"

"You got it, boss."

"But--keep it off the record, okay? Only tell him about it if--if I'm incapacitated." Tony wracked his brain, trying to think of all contingencies. He couldn't tell Bruce anything about this in advance; Bruce was smart. If Tony gave him even the slightest hint, Bruce would figure it out. Tony didn't understand whatever mental chess game Bruce was trying to play with the Hulk, but Tony didn't want to interfere. He added, "Or if the Rescue suit is activated. Or if--if he seems to be in life-threatening harm and he calls out for help." 

Tony felt like he was trying to carefully craft a wish so that it couldn't be misconstrued by a spiteful genie. "Or if Bruce thinks of the Hulkbuster himself and asks for it for any reason. Oh, and add all of this information to the file to be released to Bruce after my death."

"Done," FRIDAY said cheerfully.

"And--and in that file, tell him that it's not that I didn't trust him--or the Hulk, but I just...wanted him to have a backup. Just in case."

"All set. Would you like to review that file?"

"Not now, thanks, FRI. I'll probably record an updated message later, but I should get back to bed."

"You really should," FRIDAY agreed.

Tony looked over the Hulkbuster schema one more time. He had mixed memories of the time he'd spent building it with Bruce. He always loved working with Bruce, of course, but crafting a suit specifically targeted toward Bruce's alter ego's weaknesses...it had been painful to think about ever having to use it. The worst part had been hearing the matter-of-fact way Bruce talked about Hulk, about his willingness for them both to die if it was needed to protect others. More than that: Tony was willing to die, too, if it came to that, but sometimes it didn’t seem like Bruce was particularly willing to _live_.

Tony sighed. "Uh, save everything and put it away. And archive this conversation in the protected file."

"Saved, archived, and hidden, boss."

"Thanks, FRIDAY. Goodnight. Oh, and--I don't know, set a reminder for a week before Peter's birthday, to look into the sword thing?"

Tony padded back up to the bedroom, eager to reassure himself that Bruce was still there, still safe. He was, of course. Tony had only been gone for about fifteen minutes. His mind eased, he slipped back into bed. Tony wrapped himself around Bruce's body like a warm suit of armor, quickly joining him in sleep.


End file.
